Duleep Trophy
The 2025-26 edition marks a significant return to the tournament’s roots. After a season featuring four teams (A, B, C, and D) handpicked by the national selection committee, the responsibility for squad selection has been handed back to the zonal committees, each comprising one member from the respective state sides.
North Zone Boasts Formidable Pace and Batting Depth
Led by Shubman Gill, the North Zone squad is packed with international talent and proven domestic performers. Haryana’s Ankit Kumar, who piled up 574 runs in the last Ranji Trophy, has been named vice-captain.
The team’s pace attack looks particularly potent, featuring India internationals Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, alongside Anshul Kamboj. They are joined by Auqib Nabi of Jammu & Kashmir, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with a stunning 44 wickets at an average of just 13.93. The squad also includes a strong contingent of five players from Jammu & Kashmir, including opener Shubham Khajuria.
Central Zone Banks on Spin Trio and Ranji Champions
Under the leadership of wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel and his deputy Rajat Patidar, the Central Zone has assembled a balanced and experienced side. The highlight is their three-pronged spin attack led by India’s Kuldeep Yadav. He will be supported by Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, who broke records with 69 wickets in his team’s Ranji title run, and Rajasthan’s Manav Suthar.
The seam bowling department will be spearheaded by the returning duo of Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar. The team has also rewarded top Ranji Trophy batting performers, including Vidarbha’s Yash Rathod (960 runs) and Danish Malewar.
Opening Clashes and Asia Cup Contingency
The tournament will begin with North Zone taking on East Zone, while Central Zone will face North East in their opening fixture on August 28. With the Duleep Trophy (final on Sep 11-15) overlapping with the Asia Cup (Sep 9-28), the North Zone has already named replacements for potential national call-ups: Shubham Rohilla for Gill, Gurnoor Brar for Arshdeep, and Anuj Thakral for Harshit.
Full Squads:
North Zone Squad:
Shubman Gill (capt), Ankit Kumar (vice-capt), Shubham Khajuria, Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk).
*Â Replacements: Shubham Rohilla, Gurnoor Brar, Anuj Thakral.
*Â Stand-bys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma.
Central Zone Squad:
Dhruv Jurel (capt, wk), Rajat Patidar, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanchit Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed.
*Â Stand-bys:Â Madhav Kaushik, Yash Thakur, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav.